High Wind, Denali
- When
- January 10, 5:43 AM AST
- Where
- Denali forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
High Wind in Alaska, January 10, 2002
Strong winds developed through the Alaska Range as high pressure south of the range rapidly built, while to the north of the mountains a trough of low pressure developed. The resulted pressure gradient between these two systems caused winds to be channelled throught the narrow mountain passes increasing the overall wind speeds enough to reach warning criteria.
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS AFG wrote it up.
Strong winds developed through the Alaska Range as high pressure south of the range rapidly built, while to the north of the mountains a trough of low pressure developed. The resulted pressure gradient between these two systems caused winds to be channelled throught the narrow mountain passes increasing the overall wind speeds enough to reach warning criteria. Wind gusts up to 50 knots (58 mph) were reported by the weather observer at Healy while at the Delta Junction ASOS site wind gusts reached 47 knots (54 mph). Across the northeastern slopes of the eastern Alaska Range winds were estimated by a Weather Service Official to be as high as 50 knots (58 mph) based on the significant pressure gradient across the region.
Event by event
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng
- When
- January 10, 6:35 AM AST to 9:00 PM AST
- Where
- Ne. Slopes of the Ern Ak Rng forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- INSURANCE COMPANY
High Wind, Deltana and Tanana
- When
- January 10, 7:05 AM AST to 1:53 PM AST
- Where
- Deltana and Tanana forecast zone
- Measured
- 54 kt (62 mph)
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
What these are
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
More
Every storm in Alaska in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Alaska, January 2002
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5279699, 5279700, 5279701.